This invention relates to vacuum cleaners in general and more particularly relates to cannister type vacuum cleaners that may be wheeled about and may also be conveniently hand carried while in use.
Cannister type vacuum cleaners are often provided with wheels and/or skids to facilitate moving of the vacuum cleaner during use thereof. Sometimes it is desirable to utilize this type of vacuum cleaner for cleaning stairs and elevated locations that do not have any surfaces in the vicinity to support the vacuum cleaner while it is in operation. Prior art vacuum cleaners of this type are, for the most part, either too bulky or heavy to be carried conveniently over an extended period of time, especially when they must be carried in only one hand while the other hand is being used to maneuver a cleaning tool.
One prior art attempt to solve this problem is set forth in U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,273 which issued Aug. 17, 1971 to K. Shirayangi et al. for a Vacuum Cleaner. In the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,599,273 when the cannister vacuum is to be held by the user, the vacuum must be split into two sections, one of which is handheld and the other of which may be shoulder carried. This appears to be an extremely awkward arrangement and it would appear that an inordinate amount of time is required for separating and reassembling the sections of the vacuum cleaner.